As book bans spread at an unprecedented rate, according to the latest report from PEN America, the writers' group urges the public to speak out in defense of freedom
to read at public events nationwide during Banned Books Week and beyond.
The group's events began on Friday, October 3, and will continue through October 11.
The push to remove books from public school libraries and classrooms—primarily on topics ranging from sexuality and race, racism, and Black history to LGBTIQ+ identities—has met with a wave of public resistance across the United States since 2021.
Most Americans oppose efforts to restrict books in public schools, and this opposition is strong and growing, with coalitions forming to fight back and protect freedom of reading. PEN America's new report revealed that, of the 87 districts affected by book bans this year, citizens responded by opposing them in 70 of them, either individually, in groups, or as a community.
